Sufferfest Workout leaves Camera writer on the sidelines

As part of the ongoing Health series in the Daily Camera, writer Aimee Heckel checks out various workouts along the front range. However, when she stopped at RallySport to review the renown “Sufferfest” indoor cycling session, she found the classes were not for “regular folks like me.”

…from my experience, this class is designed for regular cyclists. I tried to take the class to review it but found out when I got there you need to bring you own bike to hook up (I don’t have one). All participants I saw were in full cycling gear (spandex and shoes), while I was wearing sneakers and yoga pants.
I would say the class at Rally (run by APEX Coaching) would be more comfortable for cyclists who want to continue training in the winter; for regular folks like me, perhaps a different kind of group cycling class would be more appropriate.
The drop-in classes held through APEX at RallySport cost $5. Here is the review:

What is the workout? Video-led indoor cycling classes that you can download on your smartphone and do independently, or join a group class with the encouragement of an instructor.
The Sufferfest (whose name is tongue and cheek, not meant to sound scary) uses footage from famous cycling races (Tour de France, UCI World Championships) combined with narration (often comical) to motivate cyclists to push harder. Videos include climbing, endurance, sprinting and race simulation programs.
The program was designed to combat the boredom one can experience while training indoors.
“To do that, we create the hardest, most exciting, most effective training videos in the world for time-crunched athletes who thrive with our high-intensity/low volume training philosophy. They’re also funny,” according to The Sufferfest website.
The Sufferfest started with the personal videos and recently expanded to offer licensed studio classes. RallySport’s is the only licensed program in Boulder County and one of 72 studios worldwide, says Alex Caswell, a Sufferfest spokesperson.
“(The founder) wanted to create a program that would be engaging and not the norm that you would see everywhere else,” Caswell says.
What’s different? The Sufferfest creates workouts set to unique storylines using the licensed race footage. The humor also makes it different, Caswell says.
And then there’s the culture. Regular participants consider their community members of a make-believe land called Sufferlandria (“Where everybody knows your pain”). This fictional country is based on sweat and tears and even has its own website, sufferlandria.com, says Caswell. . .
Read the full article HERE.